NEW DELHI, OCT 28: The Foreigners' Regional Registration Office has arrested four Tibetan Lamas, including a woman, who were trying to leave the country on forged Nepali passports. The accused include Ani Palamo Lama, Tsulten Demy Lama, Atop Lama and Tsering Lama.Officials say the monks had been planning to go to Bangkok. The group arrived at IGI airport and obtained boarding passes on flight no TG - 316 for Bangkok.
When the monks approached the immigration counter, officers manning the counter found something amiss and checked their passports using an ``ultra-violet lamp and a QDX machine''. The first two pages of the passport had been washed with chemicals and the original names removed. The photographs had also been substituted.
On sustained interrogation, the Tibetans said they are residents of Dharamshala and had procured the passports for Rs 40,000 from a Nepali national.
Copyright © 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
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